On Friday morning, the ruling coalition tabled in Parliament a bill amending the Act on Administrative Regulation of Economic Activities Associated with Oil and Petroleum Products, introducing provisions concerning the role of a special commercial administrator in Lukoil Bulgaria. The proposal was tabled by MPs from the MRF – New Beginning, GERB–UDF, There Is Such a People, and BSP – United Left parliamentary groups, according to information published on the National Assembly’s website.
Later on Friday morning, the National Assembly’s Committee on Energy approved the amendments at first reading with 12 votes in favour, none against, and no abstentions.
In their reasoning, the sponsors of the bill said that sanctions imposed on the assets of Lukoil would effectively lead to the suspension of operations at the Lukoil Neftochim refinery in Burgas, as all contractors had refused to make payments to companies owned by Lukoil OAO in Bulgaria. The situation, they argued, objectively required an expansion of the powers of the special commercial administrator, since the current circumstances differed significantly from those envisaged when the position was first introduced under the existing law.
If adopted, the draft amendments would allow the special commercial administrator to continue all operations of the refinery and other Lukoil facilities in Bulgaria beyond November 21, 2025, the proposal said.
The bill’s sponsors further said that the so-called German model, which has already been granted an exemption from the sanctions regime, had been effectively incorporated into the current legislative proposal.
According to the proposed amendments, individual administrative acts issued by the Economy and Industry Minister would be subject to appeal under the Administrative Procedure Code, except in cases where specific exceptions are provided.
The sponsors propose repealing the provision that limits the term of the special commercial administrator to six months, which may currently be extended once for the same period. They also suggest removing the text allowing the administrator’s powers to be exercised by more than one person, but not more than three.
Additional eligibility requirements for the appointment of a special commercial administrator are also introduced. The person must not be a spouse or relative (up to the sixth degree of consanguinity or the third degree of affinity) of any individual involved in the management or supervisory body of an entity operating critical infrastructure, or of any person engaged in the storage, transport, or wholesale and retail trade of oil and petroleum products. The nominee must also not maintain relationships that could raise reasonable doubts about their impartiality with any of the aforementioned parties.
The draft further provides that, from the date of appointment of the special commercial administrator by the Council of Ministers, the shareholders, partners, and sole owner of the capital of the entity operating critical infrastructure or engaged in oil-related activities, shall be deprived of their voting rights and rights as sole owner of the capital, and shall not be allowed to dispose of their shares or stakes in the company’s capital.
Background
On October 22, 2025, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) expanded its sanctions on Russia by designating that country’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, under Executive Order 14024. The idea is to step up economic pressure on Russia’s energy sector, which is a critical source of revenue for the Kremlin’s military operations in Ukraine.
In Bulgaria, Lukoil owns Lukoil Neftochim Burgas, the largest oil refinery in the Balkans, through its Swiss-registered subsidiary Litasco, which holds a 89.97% stake in the facility. Another 9.88% of the refinery belong to another Lukoil affiliate, Lukoil Oil Company. The remaining 0.15% of the capital is distributed among over 7,700 individual and corporate shareholders.
Lukoil also owns Lukoil Bulgaria, a leading Bulgarian motor fuel retail company, via Litasco.
According to the Commission for Protection of Competition, Lukoil Bulgaria has a relatively large market share in this country and is a market leader in the wholesale of automotive fuel, with a share fluctuating between 40-50% and 50-60%.
It is Lukoil’s 89.97% shareholding via Litasco that places these key Bulgarian energy assets directly within the scope of the sanctions. The sanctions are expected to affect its ability to operate normally within the global financial system, potentially limiting its access to international banking services and supply chains that rely on US dollars or entities.
This has raised concerns in Bulgaria regarding the security of fuel supply and economic impacts, prompting the government to explore legal and administrative options to ensure the refinery’s continued operation and mitigate disruptions of the country’s energy infrastructure.
There have also been calls for re-nationalization of the oil refinery, which was privatized by stages between 1997 and 2009. Ruling Parties Table Bill Expanding Powers of Special Administrator in Lukoil Bulgaria THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-11-07 08:50:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law